Sometimes we all just need to get out of the house or the library. Maybe you need to get a decent coffee into the system, or the idea of eating lunch at home is too sad, and there’s the hope that leaving the gaff will inject some fresh ideas and motivate you. Get outside, see some people. You don’t even have to socialise, apart from asking for a flat white and a plate of food (or a cake, if you’ve reached that point in the day). Here are some of our favourite cafes for sustenance and coffee to counteract the cabin fever.
The Fumbally
The Fumbally’s spacious cafe should provide you with the head-space you need to finish your work, or at least distract you with its hipster utopian vibe and fresh bread. Just do not under any circumstances attempt this on a Saturday morning, otherwise known as crazy time.
Bibi's
The key to getting some work done in Bibi’s is to go mid-week as to avoid the ravenous D8 brunch crowd. It’s a lot calmer, and you’re more likely to get a bigger table to sprawl all of your work across, all the better for suspending the illusion that you’re not procrastinating.
Blas Café
Blas has that homey feeling that resembles your sitting room, except that unlike your sitting room, there aren't discarded jumpers and old coffee cups decorated everywhere and you don’t need to think about sorting it all out and how that cup is now mouldy, and how you’re a failure. But anyway, Blas is really cosy.
3fe/Gertrude
We’ve picked two cafes in one from 3fe, their Grand Canal street café and Gertrude, because in pre-Gertrude times we loved doing work in GCS but now Gertrude has risen up as a workplace haven, mostly because they give free refills on filter coffee. What a bonus.
Network
Sleek and modern, regardless of what you’re actually doing, Network feels like you’re a hip architect sipping sweet nectar contemplating the next spire. Which was obviously a huge mistake (scarlet). Fortunately you just popped in for a pastry and 5 euros of procrastination, so no harm done.
Proper Order
When you’re working from home, feeling the onset of that cabin fever, it’ll do you all the good to get out into the real world for a coffee. When that happens, we head for Proper Order in Smithfield, telling ourselves that the hipster space will add some creative oil to our bubbling minds. Proper Order is small but the guys in there pay a huge amount of attention to their coffee, so bring your laptop, top up your caffeine levels and get inspired.
First Draft Coffee & Wine
There’s now a dual purpose to First Draft in Portobello, so if you manage to get your work done in the coffee shop during the day, you can return in the evenings for wine as a pat on the back for doing any amount of work. In fact, you tried, fair play, let’s have some wine.
Coffeeangel
Coffeeangel has multiple locations across the city, meaning you’re never far away from the freedom of a hot drink outside the cave, and it's a solid cup of coffee to snap you out of that too-long-stuck-indoors induced rut.
Two Boys Brew
TBB’s Melbourne style cafe is a favourite of ours to do work in, mostly because it’s decorated like the dream apartment that none of us could afford. But we can afford coffee, so it’s all good.
Industry
One of our city centre go-to's, Industry has excellent coffee, the prettiest porridge in town and the most excellent window seats, for relaxing, procrastinating people watching out onto Drury Street. Just watch you don't spend all your money on glass teapots and antique candle holders.
Shoe Lane Coffee
The upstairs in Shoe Lane Coffee near Tara Street Station feels like one of the best kept secrets in the city, and it's nothing but calm and positive workflow vibes. Grab a coffee and a cake downstairs and head up to your own little co-working oasis.
What are your favourite cafés to work in? Let us know by emailing info@alllthefood.ie.
